Teen Alert On Night Driving

Florida's Rules Are Toughest In Nation

TALLAHASSEE - — Beginning July 1, Florida teens will all but lose the privilege of driving at night, under the toughest licensing restrictions in the country.

Despite concerns that even safe-driving teens will be hurt by the proposal, Gov. Lawton Chiles allowed it to become law without his signature Tuesday. Passed in the final minutes of the legislative session, the law's supporters say it will save lives by restricting the hours that inexperienced drivers can be on the road alone.

The push is only the beginning, said Deborah Ball, an Oakland Park resident whose 17-year-old son died in a car accident last year.

"It's the groundwork," Ball said, adding that more driver's education and even more restrictions are needed. "It's where we're going to begin, and we need to improve upon it."

Currently, 15-year-old drivers must have a licensed driver in the car and cannot drive after dark until they are 151/2. Once they turn 16 and pass the state test, they have the same privileges as any other driver.

Beginning July 1, the restrictions include:

-- 15-year-olds will be allowed to drive only between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. and must be accompanied at all times by a licensed driver at least 21.

-- 16-year-olds must be with a licensed driver at least 21 years old when driving between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., except if driving to or from work.

-- 17-year-olds must be with a licensed driver at least 21 between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m., except if driving to or from work.

-- 16-and 17-year-olds must have a learner's permit for at least six months before acquiring their permanent license.

Teens who are caught violating the restrictions could be charged with moving violations and could have their licenses suspended or revoked.

"It's got to be the stupidest thing ever," said Stacey Turnbill, a 16-year-old Tallahassee resident. "OK, so I can't go to a football game if I can't be back by 11? Why punish everyone because a few people screw up?''

A 1993 report by the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety reported that driver error was the cause of 82 percent of fatal crashes involving 16-year-old drivers and 74 percent of fatal crashes involving drivers 17 to 19. The report said that driver error was the cause of 62 percent of crashes involving drivers between 20 and 49.

Chiles spokeswoman April Herrle said those numbers, and the pleas of parents like Ball, were too much to ignore.

"The governor is concerned that even teen-agers who are just driving and doing nothing wrong could wind up being punished under this law," Herrle said. "But the safety issue is a strong one, particularly when the parents tell their stories."

Wes Ball died last year when he swerved to avoid debris on a rain-slicked road near Chicago and hit a van. A Brevard County group called Together Educating Adolescent Motorists was formed after five people - including three teen-agers and a child - were killed in a crash caused when one of the dead teens lost control of her car.

The new driving restrictions are the latest steps aimed at controlling teen behavior.

Last month, Chiles signed a bill lowering the legal blood alcohol level of drivers under age 21 from .08 to .02, meaning even one drink could lead to DUI charges.

Legislators also passed - and Chiles allowed to become law - a provision banning minors smoking within 1,000 feet of a school. Violators could be fined $25 if ticketed by law enforcement officers.

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